Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Right out of the gates, let me say, I finished the second half of this 372 page book in one evening. I wasn’t sleepless; I was just wide awake and couldn’t find a good stopping spot. I know I picked it up after 10pm. I refused to look at the time when I finished because I didn’t want to know. But I haven’t stayed up to finish a book, let alone half of a book, in a very. Long. Time.

And yet, as much as I enjoyed it, I will not rant and rave about it. It is definitely chick-lit. It is romance. It is summer reading. It is guilty pleasure. Everyone needs one of those once in a while. Even me.

Anna is going to be a high school senior. She should be excited. She should finally be at the top of the totem pole. This should be the time of her life. But her father, a popular, best-selling, novelist has decided that she needs to study abroad. He sends her to SOAP, the School of America in Paris. It is a boarding school that traditionally caters to the children of senators and ambassadors and well-to-do socialites. Anna doesn’t have the money to fit in nor does she have the friends for support and encouragement. Oh, and she cannot speak French.

Luckily the dorm room walls are thin and Anna sobs hard into her pillow. Her next door neighbor, Meredith, comes to the rescue with chocolat chaud as an offering as well as an invitation to hang out with a ready-made group of friends. Anna makes the group five strong. Two boys and three girls. Four seniors and one junior. One couple, two singles, and half of a pair.

Very quickly, Anna becomes close friends with one of the group, Ètienne St. Clair. His mother is an American artist. His father is a French art curator. He was born in San Francisco so he is American, but he was raised in London so he speaks with an English accent – exotic. Unfortunately, he is the “half of a pair.” St. Clair’s girlfriend is also in Paris but at a graduate school nearby. Anna tries not to be concerned. She has a boy, waiting for her at home, sort of.

But St. Clair is gorgeous. Aren’t they all? And funny. And smart, especially where history is concerned. He is a protector and a flirt. Yes, he’s short, but Anna cannot help falling for him. What’s more, he seems to be interested in her. But she won’t be that girl. The one to break up a relationship. Besides, Meredith is obviously interested in St. Clair as well.

This book is classic love triangles, misunderstandings and miscommunications. And everyone viewing the situation from the outside can see what those involved cannot. It reminds me very much of how my husband and I met. We became good friends quickly, but we were both already in serious “relationships”. Relationships that were rapidly running towards the end. I still remember how my mom knew what I didn’t. I was already “in love”, but unable to admit it. I always said we were “just friends” and we were. But my mom could hear the love in the way I said his name, “Christopher”. In this way, the book rang true for me.

This book is a 2013 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee. There are references to sex, but no sex. There is some kissing. There is drinking, but the kids are in Paris where they are of age. Unfortunately, they drink too much, on two occasions. Relatively tame from my experience. I would have no problem recommending it high school girls. There is some language and brief violence, but these would be gone if we could rid the world of bullies.

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy by Dori Hillestad Butler

I have a dog. A 94 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback who knows how to communicate what he wants. If he wants to go outside, he sits at the front door, with his back to it and imploring eyes faced my direction. When he wants to go for a walk, he sits at the front door with his snout pointed towards his leash which hangs on a hook by the door. He will sit by his food bowl when he is hungry. He will lean heavily against any one of us if he wants to be petted. I know it is time to get up when he cries. Because he rarely uses his big dog bark, I know to investigate when I hear a loud woof. And he paces when his girls, my daughters, are not at home. But what would my dog do, if something serious were to happen?

King is an easy-going golden retriever. His family consists of a “mom” who is in the military, a “dad” and his best friend, Kayla. Unfortunately, the book begins with King in the P-O-U-N-D. His “mom” is serving overseas and he is not worried because he at least knows what she is doing – her job. But “dad” and Kayla have gone missing. King stayed with some friends for a while. And then “Uncle Marty” came and got him and took him to the P-O-U-N-D. King never did trust “Uncle Marty.”

Kayla and King’s favorite game was playing detective. Kayla taught King how to gather clues and make lists. They always made a list of “what they know,” and a list of “what they don’t know,” and finally, a list of “what they were going to do” – the Plan. Now King has to play detective by himself in order to solve the Case of the Missing Family. The first item on the Plan is to escape the P-O-U-N-D.

Escape is quickly accomplished when a family comes to adopt King. King doesn’t want to be adopted by a new family – and he certainly doesn’t want a new name and definitely not one as common as Buddy – except that it means escape AND the new “mom” and her boy, Connor, smell like his old neighborhood. SCORE! It turns out that Buddy’s house is directly behind King’s house. Double SCORE!!

King/Buddy is anxious to begin detective work and is excited when Connor takes him for a walk around the block. However, circumstances change from bad to worse when Connor disappears. The Case of the Missing Family must be shelved when King/Buddy realizes that Connor needs him. His new family needs him. King/Buddy makes a list of what he knows and attempts to tell “mom” and police where to begin the search. Much easier said than done.

This book is told from the point of view of King. Much of the humor comes from the miscommunications between the canine and his humans. My personal favorite line comes whenever King finds a morsel to eat and proclaims it his favorite food. Every. Time. King also gets help from other dogs in the neighborhood and even a cat with no name who can read.

Other reviews have pointed out that this book contains some serious topics even if doesn’t attempt to tackle them. The first is that King seems to have been abandoned – good families don’t take their pets to the pound. (agree to disagree.) Number two… divorce. Connor’s parents have recently divorced and Connor is having a hard time accepting it. It is particularly hard on him and important to the story that his father lives a long way away. And number three… stranger danger. I admit that I felt uncomfortable when I thought that Connor might have been kidnapped. I was grateful when this turned out to be misdirection.

The Buddy Files are a relatively new beginning, chapter book series - a bridge between beginning readers and full-fledged chapter books. There are already six published volumes. This, the first, was nominated for the 2012 Monarch Award which is a list of suggested books for kindergarten through third graders in the State of Illinois. I have a feeling that the original case – The Case of the Missing Family – will ultimately be solved.

Carter Finally Gets It

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (audio book)

The title alone made me wary. Gets it? IT it? One chapter in and I am thinking… definitely the IT it.

I read further over my lunch hour at work. I felt guilty and embarrassed. It was sort of like reading a Harlequin Romance. It was like I was doing something wrong. Like my parents were going to catch me reading smut.

So if girls read “chick-lit”. What do boys read? I don’t know what it’s called, but this would be it. (chuck-lit, dawg-lit, brutha-lit, hmmm)

The question would be, why then am I reading it? Because it is on the Abraham Lincoln Nominee list from last year. I have read all of the winners (fiction) of this Illinois high school readers’ award and I have read several of the nominees. I am preparing for the young adults in my future.

Considering that I have two daughters, I would hope and pray that this book is not stereotypical of the average teenage boy. And yet I suspect that it is very true to the mind of the typical male adolescent. In which case, it might need to be standard reading for teenage girls!

Let me tell you, I really, really, wanted to be able to bash this book. I wanted to hate it. I wanted to lecture.

And I cannot.

I like it. I like it a lot. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Later, the evening of the first day I started reading it, my husband and I were in bed reading. I started snickering. I tried not to guffaw. I didn’t want to wake anyone up, but I was having a hard time holding it in and the bed started to shake. My husband took his ear buds out and looked at me. So I told him how Carter was trying to bench press the second heaviest weights available… and they were crushing his chest… and his best friend straddles him to try to lift the bar up using his leg muscles… Okay, cover your eyes; I’m really going to write it… “But with just gym shorts on he’s basically sticking his nuts in my face and jumping up and down laughing.” And I lost it – tears streaming down my face. Fine, so I don’t live in a house with “potty” humor.

William Carter is a Freshman and he has the potential to do great things, with much opportunity to make mistakes. He may not be the star player, but he is a member of the football team. He falls into the position of Kicker which suits him fine. Not as much work and plenty of time in the spotlight. But when he is given the opportunity to make a name for himself, disaster strikes. Well, there is always the swim team... Where opportunity comes knocking yet again to earn a letterman’s jacket. Let’s just say, he might have brought his relay team victory, but he might just as easily have jumped the gun and forfeited the race for his team.

Carter is handsome and smart enough. A popular older sister boosts his popularity as well. On the down side, Carter has ADD. He daydreams. He lacks focus. Sometimes he misses important things, like when the Coach calls him into the game. Furthermore, put a “hot” girl in front of him and he loses what little attention he did have. Not to mention, his stutter becomes more pronounced. And he seems to have no control over his mouth. Blame those girls again. He finds himself labeled the “jerk”.

What he finally gets is the confidence to do what he wants regardless of what others think or what is considered popular. When Carter gets cut from the glorified baseball team which equals time away from his “boys,” Carter is forced to leave the crowd. He finds an alternative, extracurricular activity in which he can excel. Steal the show even.

Yes, girls are objectified. Yes, there is mild, bad language. Carter attempts to “run the bases.” There is implied sex. There are out-of-control parties and police. There is underage drinking and underage driving, but not together. I believe that was all going on when I was in high school too…

I wouldn’t mind reading it with my daughter some day… might be a useful tool to show what is considered unacceptable behavior in this house. But it is a guy book recommended for grade 8 and up.

Invaders

Invaders by John Flanagan

If you are a frequent guest to my book blog, you might have noticed that I have a certain disdain for books in series. I am always impressed when a story can be told start to finish within the covers of a single book (effectively.)  Stories that have to be told over the course of several years in multiple books have a chance of losing their cohesiveness and focus. Successes like Harry Potter are few and far between. I’m still amazed at the perfection that J. K. Rowling achieved.

However, as a mother, I can certainly understand a parent’s wish, even need, to find a series that will capture the imagination of their child. It makes life a trifle easier if you know that there is a volume 2… 3… 4… 10… Hallelujah! That can hold your kid’s interest just a bit longer before you have to go pick the librarian’s brain again. So many reference questions begin with, “My child just finished Series of Unfortunate Events (13 books!). Can you suggest another series that is similar?” I get it. Why ask for a single book that might last a week, when you can get a series that might last all summer depending upon the child.

But there is a series that I wish would never end – The Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan. Unfortunately, it did end. It ended after nine successful sequels and an additional volume of short stories. I couldn’t get enough! And then Mr. Flanagan surprised me and published a companion series, Brotherband Chronicles, beginning with The Outcasts and following with this, book 2, The Invaders. And it does not disappoint. Mr. Flanagan’s novels are consistently satisfying.

When The Outcasts concluded, the Heron Brotherband, a band of misfits that no one wanted, had actually won the Brotherband Championship. After a celebratory feast, the Herons are given the privilege to guard the Andomal, Skandia’s most prized treasure, for the night. This post is an honorary position and more for looks than security, but this night, a band of pirates sneaks in and steals it out from under the noses of the sleeping boys. The boys go from misfits, to heroes, to outcasts overnight.

Hal and his brotherband realize that their position in Skandia has fallen far below where it began before the Brotherband Training. None of them are willing to remain in Skandia disgraced. Instead, they decide to leave Skandia in the hopes of recovering the Andomal. They set off immediately in the hopes to overtake the pirate ship. But then what?

When The Invaders begin, Hal has begun to form a plan in his mind. The Herons are greatly outnumbered by the pirates. In order to fight and defeat the pirates, the Herons are going to have to discover their strengths and play upon them, improve and increase them. It would look like time is against them, but Mother Nature is on their side as a major storm system blows into the area and all ships must seek shelter.

While the Herons wait out the storm, they discover that Brotherband Training is only a beginning. The boys only know the basics. It is time to train harder and develop their skills. Fortunately, Thorn, Hal’s Godfather, has come along for the ride! He becomes their Battle Commander. The storm also impedes Erak, Skandia’s Oberjarl. He wants to send out is precious ship, Wolfwind, to bring the outcasts home.  The weather does not prevent the pirates from wreaking havoc. They find a port town to ransack and hold captive. The Herons are going to have the opportunity to test out their new skills, weapons and ship against the pirates very soon.

I will say it again, if you haven’t read these books yet, it is time to start – young and old!

I Am the Cheese

I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier

I was at work reading an article about improving literacy beginning with preschoolers on the NPR (National Public Radio) website when I ran across a book review titled, 'I Am The Cheese': A Nightmarish Nail-Biter by Ben Marcus. I did not wait. I immediately headed for the Young Adult bookshelves and grabbed a copy for myself. Although I have heard of the author, Robert Cormier, and more particularly of his book, The Chocolate War, I had never read one of his books before. And here was his book bypassing 5 years’ worth of titles to reside at the top of my list. I had read the comments following the article, and I knew that this was a “mind-altering” novel. I wanted my mind to be altered.

I have tried to think back to my teenage years and the novel that most changed the way I viewed the world like this novel did for Mr. Marcus. I have yet to come up with one. The Giver by Lois Lowry is the one that comes closest, however, I read that children’s novel as an adult – doesn’t count. No, when I was reading for leisure, it was either a Scholastic mass market paperback without any kind of staying power, (believe me; I’ve tried to find them.) Or it was an adult paperback that was dug out of an adult’s stash or passed around among friends. Your mother would not approve. At school, the classics were required and later the Pulitzers. Your mother still would not likely approve of the latter. And I realize that I missed out on age-appropriate literature.

I will admit that I Am the Cheese did not have quite the same effect on me as it would have had I read it when I was younger. But I am not disappointed. It was still a page-turner that I rushed back to at every opportunity. It is not the typical, action-packed adventure that the kids seize these days after they have watched the movie. It is more of the mind game… a precursor if you will to the Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon novels that I was required to tackle in college. It is a suitable bridge between the world of children’s books and the realm of adult literature.

Twelve-year-old Adam Farmer seems most vibrant when he is pedaling his bike, heading towards his father. He has a purpose and a package and he will not let anything dissuade him. Not a dog, not a bully, not a thief, not a trap. His fond memories of his would-be girlfriend and his time playing pranks with her give him the energy he needs to keep pushing on.

Alternately, the same boy is being interrogated. He is lost and confused and he is relying on a (questionable) doctor to help him find his way. But Adam is uncertain if this “doctor” is friend or foe. Adam needs information about himself and the doctor is willing to help him find it. At the same time, the “doctor” is too interested in the information himself. Should Adam be protecting/withholding the clues from the “doctor”? The two are mutually dependent. Neither can move on until the secrets have come into the light.

So which Adam is the real one? The active boy or the medicated one? And how do they relate to each other? You can try to figure it out. I tried and failed. Definitely a classic that should not be missed. Right up there with The Giver and that is saying something coming from my mouth. Probably should be required reading. Must. Get. The. Chocolate. War. Immediately.

This book should be in the pockets of junior high boys.

Physik

Physik by Angie Sage

I cannot tell you the last time that I wanted to sit and read and read and read until I was finished with a book. I think it might have been last November. Whew! Of course, it helped that I was given the opportunity to sit and read hundreds of pages in practically one sitting. Happy Independence Day America! Since I began this book, I have averaged nearly 200 pages a day and I just didn’t want to stop. I was fascinated by the new characters and I was invested in their well-being or their just demise.

The conflict of this book begins by the innocent opening of a door. Okay, not so innocent and more lack of common sense on the part of Septimus Heap’s father, Silas. Silas is looking for a place to keep his animated game pieces so that they will learn and grow without escaping or disappearing. He finds a room in the attic that will suffice. The door is Sealed and Silas should have had second thoughts. Unfortunately, Silas, being Silas, does not have even first thoughts and he immediately Unseals the door without considering why it might be Sealed in the first place. What has been purposefully kept inside?

The answer is the Substantial Spirit of a long dead and quite dreadful Queen… Etheldredda and her pet aie-aie. Queen Ethel-Dreadful, 500 years ago, had plans in place to live forever and as soon as she is freed from her enchanted portrait in the attic room, she sets her sights on the throne with the intent to be Queen forever… But first, she must get rid of Jenna, the Queen-in-waiting. And before that, she must send a seventh son of a seventh son back 500 years to finish the tincture for the Eternal Life potion. She needs Jenna to lure Septimus in.

The always disapproving Queen blackmails Jenna into convincing Septimus to look into a Looking Glass and Septimus finds himself a prisoner in Time. It is actually not as bad as you might think. Imagine going back in time and not only meeting your hero, but being his apprentice. Septimus has been fascinated by Marcellus Pye, famous Alchemist and Physician, since beginning his apprenticeship to ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand. Marcia is not impressed with Pye’s line of work and discourages Septimus from digging deep into the studies of Physik. Picture Septimus’ surprise to find himself apprenticed to Pye himself.

Over the course of 169 days, Septimus is immersed in all things Alchemie and Physik. This is a very good thing. When Queen Etheldredda was released from her prison, a horrible Sicknesse was also unleashed upon the town’s inhabitants. A deadly Sicknesse for which there is no known cure. Little does Jenna know that she will be saving the residents of the The Castle as well as her brother as she and her compatriots rush to find Septimus with the help of Spit Fyre the dragon.

I loved the first book in the Septimus Heap series, Magyk. I was less entranced with its sequel, Flyte. Physik gives me hope for the remaining volumes. I am recommending it for voracious 5^th grade readers as well as for those in junior high. It’s over 500 pages long, but it flies by swiftly. Being more of a mind game, than an action adventure, this series seems to have a greater female following. It is a less sinister and violent Harry Potter. I was only squeamish when the Queen served plucked and alive baby ducklings in soup bowls to be scalded with orange sauce for a banquet. That was truly the worst moment. You are warned.

Darkness Before Dawn

Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon Draper

This book completes the Hazelwood High trilogy. In Forged by Fire, we met Andy, his closest friends and his girlfriend Keisha. Their teenage world is rocked when Andy and his basketball buddies decide to go out drinking and Andy gets behind the wheel of a car. Andy’s best friend, Rob, dies when Andy hits a retaining wall head on.

In Tears of a Tiger, we met Gerald, his mom and his half-sister, Angel. Gerald happens to be a peer of Andy although not in Andy’s close circle of basketball friends. In this book, we learn more about the child ,neglected and abused, that became the teenage Gerald from the first book.

It Darkness Before Dawn, Andy’s girlfriend, Keisha takes center stage, but characters from the previous novels are still present and lending their support. They are still reeling from the effects of Rob’s death and Andy’s suicide. Gerald and his incoming, freshman, sister, Angel, are also recovering from abuse suffered.

If that were not enough, now Keisha must suffer some more.

Andy’s death has left hollow place in Keisha’s life. She had known Andy since kindergarten, and she is not prepared to fill that hollow spot with another boy. She intends to attack her senior year at Hazelwood High with gusto, ace her tests, and apply to colleges. Because her best friend Rhonda is seriously dating Andy’s friend, Tyrone, Keisha ends up being a third wheel much of the time. She fills her days by spending time with Monty, Andy’s seven-year-old brother. And she spends time with Rob’s younger sister, Joyelle. These three form the group of kids most affected by the teenage deaths the previous year. They support each other

Keisha thinks she is not ready to love again until Jonathon Hathaway shows an intense interest in her. Jonathon is Hazelwood High’s principal’s son and new cross country coach. He is a college man, mature and worldly. He is traveled and educated. And he makes Keisha feel like a woman rather than a high school girl. She should realize something is wrong when she feels compelled to start sneaking around.

This book reads a lot like the teen romances I read in high school like Fifteen by Beverly Cleary. There are two boys and one is wrong and one is right but the heroine never knows which one to choose even though the reader is privy to important information. As an adult I think, why can’t the heroine see it coming… the danger lights are glaring in her face.

This book also reminds me of an after school special. It covers rape, anorexia, death, suicide, abuse, molestation, alcohol and homelessness. It is a bit overwhelming for one group of kids. And it comes with study questions at the back. I’ll add that a rape doesn’t actually occur. Keisha fights back to survive – rather easily I might add. This is not a graphic novel. But definitely meant for teenagers.

The book’s target audience is reluctant readers and more specifically African Americans. However, other than the character’s names, it doesn’t feel decidedly African American. It does not feel inner city. Gerald seems to be the only inner city character. The rest feel suburban and privileged. Not to say that there are not privileged African Americans, but I don't think they would gravitate to this kind of book.

I understand that the book is used in high school literature classes. I would say definitely not college prep because it sure doesn’t read like literature.